Merry Chistmas everyone.


I hope everyone has a really good Christmas and a happy New Year.

Only 2 more days to go until Christmas! There are lots of presents under our Christmas tree now, so I'm looking foward to that.

We all went out last night for a few drinks at "Fu Bar" which was pretty cool. It's one of those nightclubs you'd walk past 500 times without noticing it, just a small door with steps leading down. Wasn't too bad either.

Well I can hear the office Christmas party pumping down in the other room. Have a good Christmas everyone, take care. See you in the New Year!

Best Wishes,


TiM

Well It's nearly Christmas. I should really get out and do some Christmas shopping, although I have sent quite a few cards already. I hope they arrive to everyone in Australia on time. Knowing my luck (and how brillant Australia Post isn't) they won't arrive for another 2 months. Trust me, they have been sent!

I've done quite well on the presents front in the last few days. So far 4 packages have arrived here at work with my name on them. At least we have a Christmas tree at the flat now (It was there Friday night when I arrvied) so I have something to put them all under.


The Auckland streets are packed with people when I go out at lunchtime now. If you think Hobart is bad for Christmas shopping, come to Auckland! It's almost shoulder to shoulder. You know it's bad when you're fighting old ladies...

Check this out!

It was hot dry Saturday. A warm northeaster filtered down the river supplying the occupants of the beach little or no relief from the scorching sun. Along the foreshore fishermen cast lines out into the crystal blue ocean, which sparked blindingly in the noon sun. Upon the blurred horizon something was brewing, and come 1:00 we would know if our hard work would pay off.




I stood on the beach my feet submerged deeply into the sand to escape the scolding surface layer. My mind couldn't help but wonder how the day would unfold. Whatever the outcome I knew it was going to be interesting. I glanced at the Hobie to check it one last time, hmmm mast check; boom connected check; sails up check; center boards check; bulkhead covers check; bungs check; rudder pins tied in with string check! The sea breeze swept in from the outer rim of...

Damn what a hot weekend. I don't know what it got up to (I've been told 28) but it was feking hot. I got pretty sunburnt when I fell asleep in Albert Park reading my book (Lord of the Rings, attempt number 10). Still, that's what I get for being a Sunday bludger I suppose.

Updated

Friday night was pretty good. Firstly we had "In the bag", which is a prize giving thing at work. The staff member who has got the most votes from other staff members wins a prize. Not sure what the prize is either, because for some totally unknown reason I didn't win.



After In The Bag a number of us went to a Christmas do put on by one of our outside contractors. They put on a pretty good do, lots of beer and food in a nice setting!






Then I got home at the...

Here are a couple of interesting things people have sent to me today. Both are pretty big files, but they're worth downloading!

The Salmon Advertisment (Movie) - 380k



Working Well With Others (Word Document) - 560k

You will probably need to right click on the links and click "save as"








It's been a very busy day today. There is currently heaps of work on, there always is around Christmas I suppose. I'm looking forward to tomorrow, another of our suppliers is having their company do tomorrow night, then after that there's a party at our flat. Aparantly it starts at 10pm. Obviously either a really short party, or I'm not going to get much sleep. I'll let you know.



More interesting management stuff at work. We're being asked to sign "agreements" for the callout roster. Lots of interesting political stuff going on there. I'd include a bit more detail, but...

Woohoo. I'll be coming back to a real country on the 11th of January next year. My friends Chris and Simone are getting married, and I'm the best man, so I think attendence is somewhat compulsory.

Not much interesting has happened this week. Work has been pretty busy, some new kit has arrived so we get to play with that to make sure it all works OK.

Well I really can't think of much interesting to say today. So f*ck it, I'm going home!

TiM

Here are the first lot of Photos from the BBQ on Saturday. There are a lot of them, taken by one of the guys from work with his digital camera. I'm there in a few of them somewhere...

Me, Beer in 1 hand, Camera in other

Rumour has it that Tru Brick my (and Tim Flemings) Hobie 18 has been repaired and is ready to sail again! Long live Tru Brick!

Oh yea it's real name is Tru Blu but it's so fekin' heavy...

That was a good weekend!



Friday night we had big team meeting. Things looked good right from the start when we arrvied and there were pizzas and beer waiting. That's my sort of meeting.


After that a few people stuck around in the meeting room to discuss things a bit less business like, for example, which pub should we go to next??

Eventually this was decided on and we wandered off to the Oxidental (A belgian beer bar) for a quiet ale or 2. Certainly the proper way to end a busy Friday.

Saturday arrived and I was jumping up happily, not slightly hungover at all, to come into work to babysit some contractors.



Our basement downstairs houses all our networking equipment and is, obviously, pretty important and has to be secure. When contractors want to work on the weekend someone has to go in keep and eye on them...